Chapter 12
"If this is what Your Highness wishes, we will obey your orders."
"Hmph! Don't think I don't know what your father did back then. Even I can guess what he can, let alone the King of Xiyi. But in the end, none of this has anything to do with me. As long as you do what I have instructed you to do, I will have the final say on who will be the King of Xiyi."
Although his father hadn't shown a preference for one son over the other, he had been reluctant to announce the crown prince. Logically, while he, the eldest son, was born out of wedlock, so too was the second prince, so their status was the same. However, his mother's family was influential, giving him some say in the court. Furthermore, he hadn't committed any wrongdoing or misconduct, so the crown prince position was his by right.
However, in recent years, the Second Prince's popularity among the people has grown, and he has a number of officials secretly supporting him, including Gong Yuchen. To be frank, at least half of the Second Prince's current empire is due to his contributions. Otherwise, he wouldn't have joined forces with Gong Yuxian to counter Gong Yuchen and consolidate his own power. After all, weakening the enemy and strengthening one's own strength increases the likelihood of success.
"Your Highness is right. That's why my father ordered me to come this time. First, to help His Highness the Virtuous Prince ascend to the throne. Second, besides getting rid of Gong Yuchen, it's also for Princess Yue."
Yi Luoyue? He wasn't close to this legitimate sister. If he didn't need her support, he wouldn't want to have too much contact with her.
"Do you know that Yi Luoyue, as the legitimate princess, is not only favored by my father, but also has the influence of her mother, the queen, and her family, which cannot be underestimated. And you? A mere prince of the Western Yi..."
"So, I still need your help."
"Even if this king is willing to help you, it depends on whether you have the ability to do so." Although he intends to cooperate with Gong Yuxian, he is still unsure about his strength.
"I heard from Your Majesty that Princess Xu Yue can decide on her own who will be her husband?"
"That's true, but my father's favorite is Yi Luoyue's cousin, Li Fei, the second son of the Wu Cheng family."
"But from what I know, there doesn't seem to be any romantic feelings between the two of them. It's just the Li family's second son's wishful thinking. Besides, that Li Fei is a concubine's daughter."
"Prince Gongyu seems to look down on those born out of wedlock!" Looking at Yi Luoyao's gloomy face, Gong Yuxian realized that he had said something wrong.
"I hope Your Highness will forgive me. I have nothing but respect for You and would never dare to act rashly. Besides, my father was born out of wedlock, how could I dare to do that?" Gong Yuxian hurriedly explained, fearing that he would be hated if he was not careful.
"Hmph! I dare not. What else can you Xiyi people not dare to do?" However, if the power on Yi Luoyue's side can be used for his own benefit, then he will be one step closer to that position.
Although Wu Cheng had not chosen to side with him or the Second Prince, he had, after all, rejected his attempts to win him over. If no countermeasures were taken, he would sooner or later become a hidden danger. Li Fei was even more of an eyesore; if they were to take action against Yi Luoyue, it would be best to eliminate her.
However, the current priority is Yi Luoyue's birthday party. Even if Li Fei is gone, there will still be other people who dream of becoming a prince consort. But it would be best if the candidate is from his own side.
"Tell me about your plan?"
"I heard that Princess Yue really loves gold, silver, and jewelry?"
It wasn't just a hobby; she had loved dressing herself up as a walking jeweled tree since she was little. Her father, the king, who loved his daughter dearly, almost gave her half of the national treasury because of this hobby.
"Your Highness is also aware that my Western Yi is rich in jade. If I offer the jade mine as a betrothal gift, I wonder if I can win the princess's favor. Besides, although I am not talented, my family background and appearance are both excellent, so I should be able to catch the princess's eye."
After looking Gong Yuxian up and down, he found that among the unmarried young men from aristocratic families, Gong Yuxian could be considered a dashing and charming young man, and he would not bring disgrace to Yi Luoyue.
"But I remember that although you are not married, you seem to have four or five concubines." Yi Luoyao said slowly while sipping tea.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. I have already dealt with them. Nothing can be found out now."
"You are indeed a ruthless person. Since you came here prepared, you should also know the rules for the Yi Kingdom's legitimate princess to choose a husband, right?"
"I know a thing or two."
"Okay, then tell me."
"First, becoming a consort can enjoy all the privileges of a royal princess, as well as ownership of half of the princess's dowry. His offspring can also be included in the royal family genealogy as illegitimate children."
"Secondly, the betrothal gift for marrying a princess must be greater than the dowry and the princess's private property. Furthermore, the bride price will not be granted the privileges of a princess and cannot use or control the princess's dowry. Furthermore, the bride price must be higher ...
"In other words, between being the consort and the king, you can only choose one."
"I understand."
"So what's your choice?"
"Being able to serve His Highness is the most important thing, so I choose to marry the princess." After all, in the future, he will need the help of the wise king to fight against Gong Yuchen. Compared with the throne, a princess is nothing. What's more, he can also become a legitimate descendant from this branch of concubines, and it is even more legitimate to inherit the throne.
"You're quite open-minded."
"How dare I, how dare I? Besides, if my guess is correct, Your Highness probably doesn't want the princess to stay in Yidu in the future." Gong Yuxian knew clearly what kind of person Yi Luoyao was. He would definitely not tolerate Yi Luoyue. Besides, if Yi Luoyue left Yidu and lost his protection, she would still be under his control.
"Okay, I agree to your terms. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Yes, with Yi Luoyue's power, letting her stay in Yidu would only bring him harm and no benefit. Even if she could not inherit the throne, she would suppress him when he ascended the throne in the future. So instead of letting her find a prince consort, it would be better to marry her off and let her never come back.
"Go and help me do something tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Highness, please give your orders."
It was getting late and the dew was heavy. A sickle-shaped crescent moon hung obliquely in the sky, but the night wind had turned cooler.
His Highness was actually in a daze.
Liefeng looked at Gong Yuchen in disbelief. He had served him since he was eleven. Although they were master and servant, Gong Yuchen had never treated him harshly. He would even rush to the front when there was danger. Although they were master and servant, they were like brothers. So as far as he knew, Gong Yuchen never stared blankly in front of others.
"Your Highness, Your Highness?" Liefeng called out, and seeing Gong Yuchen didn't respond, he called out again, but Gong Yuchen still didn't respond. It was really strange, what was His Highness thinking?
"Your Highness, Miss Yue'er..."
"What? What happened to Yue'er?" Gong Yuchen, who was staring at the book in his hand, immediately came back to his senses when he heard Yue'er's name.
"It's okay, Miss Yue'er is fine in her room. Your Highness, what are you thinking about? It's already this late, Miss Yue'er must have gone to bed long ago. Wasn't it Your Highness who coaxed her to sleep?"
Gong Yuchen raised an eyebrow. Indeed, ever since Xiaoyue arrived at the mansion, she'd been plagued by nightmares, and only in his company could she sleep peacefully. From his observations over the past few days, Xiaoyue wasn't familiar with everyone. The strange thing was, she seemed to have an innate sense of who the elders and trustworthy people around her were.
"Then what did you ask her to do? Has she been too idle lately?"
"I called His Highness several times, but He ignored me." I have to say, this is the best way to bring back the soul!
"Did Gong Yuxian arrive in Yidu today?"
"According to the spies, they arrived at noon. Although the virtuous prince did not show up directly, the two of them had a private conversation for an hour behind closed doors in the Honglu Temple."
When he arrived in Yidu, he didn't come to pay his respects to him, the prince. What's the matter? Gong Yuxian doesn't even want to pretend?
"Is there anything unusual?"
"I'm not sure yet, but I've ordered people to keep an eye on it."
He slowly stood up, walked to the low-draped window sill, and looked out. A shadow flashed by the window, and he pushed it open, only to see a white dove squatting beside it.
Gong Yuchen caught the white pigeon in his hand, took out the paper from the bamboo tube on its foot, and unfolded it. On it were written the words: Tomorrow, King Cheng, please save me quickly.
As a hostage, his every move would be watched, so he had to keep a low profile. He was not a conceited person who thought everything could be seen through, so over the years, he had many spies in the dark. Even if he stayed at home, he could still know some things. What's more, King Cheng also sent several people to investigate for him in secret.
"Your Highness, what's the matter?" Looking at Gong Yuchen with a serious expression.
"King Cheng, where are you now?"
"He should still be in the Imperial Garden outside the city. He should be back the day after tomorrow."
The day after tomorrow... Gong Yuchen's face was unprecedentedly solemn. Gong Yuxian had only just arrived today, and the virtuous king was already making moves. It seemed not only Gong Yuxian was restless, but even the virtuous king was ready to make a move. He just wondered what their plan would be tomorrow. He pondered over possible options.
"Take this jade pendant and go quietly to see the Second Prince's wife. Be sure to ask her to write a letter saying that she is unwell and hopes the Second Prince will return soon, and then take the letter back." Gong Yuchen handed the jade pendant that King Cheng 'Yi Luohui' had given him for communication to Liefeng.
"yes."
"Also, give orders to send someone to invite Miss Cousin tomorrow morning and ask her to look after Xiaoyue. When you return, prepare the horses. We will set out for the Imperial Garden overnight."
"Your Highness, will this arouse the suspicion of the wise king?"
"He probably doesn't have the guts to take King Cheng's life right now. Besides, the guards around King Cheng are quite skilled and wouldn't be easily taken down. So, the most likely scenario is that he won't touch King Cheng, but will indirectly pose a threat to him."
"So, what does Your Highness mean?"
"Gong Yuxian had just arrived in Yidu when the virtuous king took action. I'm afraid he wanted to test Gong Yuxian's strength and see if he could compete with me. If their main target wasn't King Cheng, then they were most likely going after the Imperial Garden. After all, King Cheng went there to inspect the harvest. If anything happened to the Imperial Garden, King Cheng would definitely be held responsible."
"What should we do? Will it be too dangerous?"
"Be prepared. Even though dangers come in different sizes, now is not the time to reveal our trump cards." Having said that, we still have to be on guard against Yi Luoyao's potential for some despicable moves.
"Only you and I will be on the road. Have some other people disguise themselves as ordinary people and follow us secretly. If we encounter danger, they will listen to the sound of your bagpipe and act accordingly."
"Yes, I will prepare it right away."
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